Work support for leather-working machines



1,624,309 Apnl 12, 1927. o' H' BRQWN WORK SUPPORT FOR LEATHER WORKING MACHINES Filed Aug. 26. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 15 @QM w Apfl 12, 19.27. 1,624,309

O. H. BROWN WORK SUPPORT FOR LEATHER WORKING MACHINES Filed Aug. 26. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 12, 1927.

O. H. BROWN WORK SUPPORT FOR LEATHER WORKING MACHINES Filed Aug. 26. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATNT OFFICE.

OscARVH. BROWN, OF sALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, AssieNoR Toy THE TURNER TANNING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

WORK sUPrORT FOR LEATHRRVORKTNG MAciiiNEs.

Application filed August 26, 1922.' Serial No. 584,450'.

This invention relates to a work support or table for hide and leather working machines of the character shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 784,017, dated February 28, 1905. f

The work support or table Of the machine shown in the patent referred to, is provided with a bolster of felt, leather or other yielding material; upon which the hide, skin or leather is placed, and whichI is movable or shiftable with relation to the table, a portion of the bolster lying against one side of the table being connected with the portion lyinga'ga'inst theopposite side of the table by chains which engage sprocket wheels on a shaft. supported at the top of the table and over which the bolster is passed.

The present invention has for its Object to provide a superior table or work support having a shiftable bolster, whereby in the operationof the machine undue strain upon the bolster and the work thereon is avoided, and whereby the use of the chains and sprocket wheels is dispensed with, thereby avoiding annoying delavs in the operation of the machine due to breaking of said chains by undue strain placed upon them by the working tools or members acting on the work supported by the bolster;

The invention further has for its object to provide for adjusting the bolster with rela` tion to the table to take up the stretch in the bolster which may be caused by. the worle ing tools in the operation of the machine, and thereby provide for obtainingand inaintaining any desired tension on the bolster.

These and other featuresof this invention Fig. 1 is a frontV elevation with part-s broken away, of a work support-` or table embodying this invention:

Fig. 2, aside elevation of the table shown in Fig. 1;

Fig; 3, a cross section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1;-

Fig. a, a detail in elevation to` show` the adjusting mechanism for the bolster;

Fig. 5, a side' elevation of Fig; 4; lookin-g toward the left; aridv Fig. 6 a; detail.. in`side elevation looking toward the left of Fig. 5.

Referring tothe drawing, a .represents the table proper which may be of any suitable Or usual construct-ion, and which is herein represented as composed of matched boards;

The table a is substantially fiat and is provided at its top with a roundedl upper edge, which may be'formed by al round wooden rod b fitted into a substantially circular groove in the top of the table a.

The table a is provided with a bolster' 0 felt, rubber, leather or other suitable cushioning` material, and said bolsterisy laid over the top of the table i and covers the opposite sides of the latter more or less, and; is designedk to support the hide, 'skin or leather which is to'be treated with. the Operating tools or working members of the machine, which latter may be the same as that shown in the patent referred to. except as to the tableory worksupport.

The portions of the bolster 0,. which lie against the opposite sidesof the table a may for convenience be termed members and are numbered 10, 12, and provision is made for positively or mechanically moving one of said members when the table is moved with relation to the other of said members so as to shiftthe bolster on the table.

In the present instance, one construction or arrangement is shown for eifecting this result. To this end, the member 10 at its opposite'sides andn'eai" its'lower end has fastened to it, rack bars 13 provided with a plurality of slots 14 which form teeth 15 in said bars. Each rack bar 13 is fastened to the bolster o by a. clamping bar 16. and bolts 17.

The rack bar 13 is movable in a guideway intothegroOve 21` in the 'bar 19` and serves .has fastened. tea @was @spes-te Sides and near its lower end like rack bars 22. Each 2 Y masses rack bar 22 is provided with slots 93 forming teeth 2d, and is clamped to th-e member 12 by a bar 25 and bolts 26. Each raclt bar 22 is movable in a guideway formed by a bar 27 secured to the table a and by a bar 23 secured to the bar 27 by the bolts 29. The bar 28 is provided with a portion which is separated from the bar 27 by fa space which forms the guideway in which the rack bar 22 slides, and. is also provided with a longitudinally extended groove 129 for the reception of the flange or lip 30 on the rack bar 22. j

Each pair of rack bars 13, 22, has cooper ating with it a toothed wheel or pinion 31, whose teeth are designed to engage the teeth of said rac-lr bars, and as a result, the toothed wheel is rotated by one of said rack bars, and acts as a driver to effect movement of the other of said rack bars.

The rack bar 13 is provided with a lug or projection 32 and the rack bar 22 is provided with a lug or projection 33, which cooperate with suitable stops or devices on the machine to prevent movement with the table of said rack bars and the ends ofthe bolster to which they are attached in the same manner as described in the patent referred to.

In the machine shown in the patent referred to, the bolster member 12 is dragged over the top of the table in one direction by the bolster member 10, when the projection 32 attached to the latter enga-ges the stop,

not shown, which cooperates with it, and the `bolster member 10 is dragged over the top of the table in the `opposite direction when vthe projection 33 attached to the bolster o ieratino' sto on the u )ward movement of the table a, and after the latter has passed between a lower pair or set of working memhers, the same as described in the patent referred to.

On the continued upward movement of the table the bolster member 1() is prevented from moving with the table, by the engage ment of the lug 32 with its co-operating stop while the otherbolster member 12 is positively moved in the same direction as the table, which is effected by the toothed wheel 31, which moves with the table, being caused to rotate by ,the now `stationary rack bar 13, and in turn causing the rack bar and the bolster member 12 to be positively moved upward in the same direction as the table, thereby effecting a shifting of the bolster over the top of the table and ac- Vthe now stationary rack bar 22, and acts as a driver for theraclr bar 13, which is positively moved or pushed upwardly on the continued upward travel of the table, thereby edecting a shifting of the bolster over the top of the table in the opposite direction.

At orabout the time the bolster has been shifted so as to restore the members 10, 12 to their normal positions with relation to the table, the lug 33 is released from its stop.

Provision is made for adjusting the tension on the bolster. 'Io this end, the toothed wheel 31 is mounted on a shaft l() which is supported in a sliding block Ll1 movable lengthwise between the plates or bars 13, 27 by an adjusting screw 4t2 extended through a bottom bar t3 and provided with a collar ell and having an angular end position d for engagement with a wrench. By turning the adjusting screw Ll2 in one direction, the block 4l-1 is moved downward, and the ten sion on the bolster is increased, as both members 10, 12 are simultaneously moved downward, due to the fac-t that they are connected with the sliding block i-1 through the rack bars 13, 22, toothed wheel 31 and shaft e0.

By turning the adjusting screw in the opposite direction, vthe sliding block 41, the shaft 4:0, the toothed wheel 31 and the rack bars 13, 22 are moved upwardly as well as -the bolster members 10, 12, thereby relieving the tension upon the bolster.

rIhe shaft Zl() is guided in its movement by guide pieces 4l?, 43 located between and secured to the bars 13, 27, and provided with slots 4 9 through which the ends of the shaft Ll0 are extended. The shaft 40 is provided at its outer end with a collar 50, and the slots 49 may and preferablyniill be provided at their upper' ends with an enlargement It will be observed that the toothed wheel 3l is driven by one rack bar and acts as a driver for the other rack bar, when the bolster is shifted on the table, and when the tension of the bolster is adjusted, the toothed wheel acts as a connector or coupler for the raClbars, so that they may be moved vSimultancously in the same direction. From thc above description, it will be observed that the bolster is shifted with a downward pull on one bolster member and with a positive upward push on the other, for when the lug' engages its co-operating stop and the table continues upward, the stop prevents upward movement of the bolster member l() with the table and the effect is the same as a down pull upon the bolster member 10, and at the same time, the bolster member l2 is positively pushed upwardly by the toothed wheel 31 which moves upwardly the rack bar 22 attached to the bolster member 12.

One embodiment of the invention is herein shown, but it is not desired to limit the invention t-o the particular construction shown.

Claims:

l. work .support for hide and leather working machines comprising a table, a bolster extend-ed over the top of the said table and having members cooperating with the opposite sides thereof to support the work, rack bars attached to said bolster members, and a toothed wheel carried by said table and engaging said rack bars to positively move one of said rack bars and its bolster member in the same direction as said table when the latter is moved lengthwise of the other of said rack bars.

Q. A work support for hid-e and leather working machines comprising a table, a bolster extended over the top of the said table and. havingmembers cooperating with the opposite sides thereof to support the work, rack bars attached to Said bolster members, a toothed wheel engaQ-ingl .said rack bars, a shaft for said wheel, a. 'sliding carrier for said shaft movable with said table, and means for moving said sliding carrier to effect simultaneous movement of said rack bars and said bolster members.

A work support for hide and leather working machines comprising a table, a bolster extended over the top of the said table and having members cooperating' with the opposite sides thereof to support the work, and means located between said bolster members and cooperating` therewith for positively moving one of said bolster members in the .same direction as the table is moved and t-oward the other of said bolster members when the latter is prevented from moving with the table.

4l. A work support for hide and leather working machines comprising` a table, a bolster extended over the top of the said table and having,` members cooperating with the opposite sides thereofl to `support the work, means located between said bolster members and cooperating therewith to connect them together, and means for moving said connecting means and said bolster members to simultaneously move the latter in the same direction with relation to the table.

5. A work support for hide and leather working machines comprisinga. table, a bolster extended over the top of the said table and having members cooperating with the opposite sides thereof to support the work, and means cooperating with said bolster members and movable with said table for pushing upwardly the lower portion of one lf said bolster members when said table is moved upwardly with relation to the other of said bolster members to shift the portion of the bolster normally lying over the top of the table onto the side of the table whose bolster member is not moving with the table.

6. A work support for hide and leather working machines comprising; a table, a bolster extended over the top of the said table and having members cooperating with the opposite sides thereof' to support the work, and means carried by said table and rendered effective by movement of the latter with relation to one of said bolster members to positively push the other of .said bolster members in th-e same direction as the table is moved and thereby shift the bolster with 'a downward pull on one bolster member, and with a posit-ive upward push on the other bolster member.

. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

OSCAR H. BROWN. 

